Friday, April 4, 2014

*Gizmos Book Review* Murder of Crows (The Others, #2) by Anne Bishop

*Synopsis*

After winning the trust of the terra indigene residing in the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn has had trouble figuring out what it means to live among them. As a human, Meg should be barely tolerated prey, but her abilities as a cassandra sangue make her something more.

The appearance of two addictive drugs has sparked violence between the humans and the Others, resulting in the murder of both species in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard — Lakeside’s shape-shifting leader — wonders if their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or a future threat.

As the urge to speak prophecies strikes Meg more frequently, trouble finds its way inside the Courtyard. Now, the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent on reclaiming their blood prophet—and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all*Thoughts*

Murder of Crows is the second novel in the Others series. The story itself takes place 2 weeks after the end of Written in Red which I gave enthusiastic 5 stars to! Cassandra sangue (blood prophet) and Human Liaison Meg Corbyn, has found a place, the Lakeside Courtyard, where she feels at home. The community protects her and her makes her feel welcomed which is surprising since she is basically a human or "exploding fluffball."

Even though the community is filled with terra indigene (paranormals that include vampires, werewolves, crows, bears, coyotes, and other extremely danger species like Tess), the community leader Simon Wolfgard, and others have come to consider Meg as a friend, perhaps leaning towards something else between Simon and Meg in future installments.

Murder of Crows reveals the nefarious Controller for whom Meg escaped 7 weeks ago and whom wants her back by any means necessary, including sending mercenaries and other individuals to capture her. He is vile, disgusting, and uses girls like Meg for profit since the Cassandra sangue have the ability to see future events by cutting their own skin and then tosses them away like garbage. There are definitely hints of abuse and rape of the cassandra sangue which you know by know that I don't care to read about in my stories. While it is not glaring, and in your face, it is there almost as though Bishop is daring someone to call her out on it.

Murder of Crows also gives readers a better look into the other human communities, like Lakeside, who are allowed to exist by the terra indigene as long as they don't try anything stupid like rioting, killing terra indigene, and creating a drug called feel-good that has severe impacts on both humans and supernaturals alike. I would say that there is a whole lot of interesting directions that Bishop can take this series from here, including revealing more about the Human First and Last movement and their leaders who are really stirring shit up.

Murder by Crows isn't exactly action packed like Written in Red was, but it is far from boring or a let down from Written in Red. It is more story and character driven than the previous installment focusing on Meg's dangerous prophecies that may signal the end of relationship between the humans and supernaturals of Thaisa. There are more characters introduced, as well who add to the depth of the story including more humans, and more supernaturals from around Thaisa.

I adore this series. I love the setting, Anne Bishop' world building, the twist on the whole Others vs Humans and who was here first idea, the different names for places, days of the week, and also the fact that this is not a sparky, cute story, but a dark, dangerous world where things really do eat you if you step out of line or go too far into the woods.

I love Meg who is slowly coming to terms with the world she lives in and the fact that she can't survive without Simon, Tess, Henry, Vladimir, and a whole slew of characters who make this series so interesting to read helping and ensuring that she stays alive. Can't wait for the third installment!

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Hi, I'm Shelley, an avid book reader from Florida by way of New York. I read and review books of MOST GENRE's for my own personal gratification and don't mind if people disagree with my assessment as long as they respect me.
I love receiving book recommendations from my friends, and authors, and appreciate when I'm lucky enough to receive an ARC before release. I consider myself lucky enough that people actually stop by and read my reviews.